Full Member

has lying hips

I went for about a month - but it was quite a while ago - mid-late 90s. It is extremely beautiful but also a thought provoking place with some sadness too I thought. I was living in Japan at the time so I was earning in yen and I could change up 1000yen (approx a fiver) and would have to carry the money out in a plastic bag! It was just so incredibly cheap! We stayed in cheaper hotels - which were stunning! But as soon as you leave the complex you are surrounded by small children and women begging for money or desperately trying to sell you items. They would literally follow us for hours and miles. This is especially the case in Kuta and other touristed areas. However, there are other areas of the island which are a bit more mellow. Ubud is very nice, quite arty and Lovina beach is also nice - I got my PADI diving licence there very cheaply. In the centre of the island are fantastic mountains with terraced rice paddies.

I did really like Bali - but I think, like India - the poverty can be saddening - I felt quite guilty a lot of the time about my position as a tourist - it's a wierd situation because obviously by going as a tourist you bring money to the local economy, but at the same time it is a harsh reminder of just how much we have and how little others have - obviously this is not a bad thing - but it's worth bearing aware of I think.

The best thing about Bali though was the overwhelmingly friendly people. It was hard (especially coming from where I do) to trust people who approach you on the street - but they were all being genuinely friendly - lots showed us clubs/bars etc where doubtless they got some kind of kickback for taking us there, but at the same time we would see them around afterwards and always stop and have a chat and a laugh. We used to go quite often to the club that was subsequently bombed.

It is entirely possible to go there though and stay in one of the top hotels and be driven around and not really experience any of the above.

LIGHTER LIFE FOR LIFE

i went in 1990 so a long time ago and I went backpacking as part of my "round the world " experience.I remember feeling that Kuta was the Australian "Benidorm" - busy and commercial and full of drunken Ozzies!We also went to Ubud - which I felt was beautiful - quite a hippy place full of arts and local crafts and the monkey forest - watch out for the monkeys they are very tame and jump into your arms !Our accomodation was lovely and we were backpacking - high standards of cleanliness and luxury - the hotels will be stunning as most of the far east has very high standards - a 3 star over there is like a 5 star in Spain!I think it is a place to go to experience the culture - the beautiful scenery and of course the people.Happy Holidays!:bliss:

Full Member

it's a constant struggle isnt it because so often when you go to these beautiful places you're surrounded by poeverty and it does make you feel guilty. but then hat do you do? stop going and keep valuable tourist money out of a place? it is very difficult. because i'm the sort of person who hates being penned into a resort and not seeing the real people and life outside the hotel grounds..